Push-button switch.



A. S. MULLER & L. E. OARRIGO.

PUSH BUTTON SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 17, 1999.

958 755, Patented May 24, 1910.

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1/ aywemtow Patented May 24, 1910.

PUSH BUTTON SWITCH.

' APPLICATION FILED MAY 17, 1909.

A. S MULLER & L. E; CARRICO.

ADOLPHS. MULLER AND LEO E. GARRICO, F DENVER, COLGBADO'.

' PUSH-BUTTON SWITCH.

Specification of Lettersratent.

Application filed May 17, 1909.

' Patented May 24:, 191%." Serial No. 496,510.

To all whom it may concern: 3

-Be it known that we, ADoLrH S. MULLER and LEO E. CARRIco, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Denver, in the city and 1 county ofDenver-and State of Colorado,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Push-ButtonSwitches; .and we do declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention,

4 such as will enable others skilled in the art;

to which it appertains to'make and use the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification. I Our inventionrelates to improvements in push button switches, our object being toprovide a construction in which a single push button is employed forboth making and breaking the circuit, and also in which the make andbreak is accomplished by a quick action of the bridge piece, wherebyarcing is prevented.

The invention will now be described. in detail, reference being made tothe accompanying drawing in which is illustrated an embodiment thereof.

In this drawing, Figure 1 is a vertical section takenthrough the socketof an incandescent lamp equipped. with our invention.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal line 2-2-, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section. similarto Fig. 1 but showing the parts in different relative positions. Fig.li's a section taken on the line 4 4:, Fig. 1, looking downwardly, andwith the spring-actuated rotary bridge piece in the position to closethe circuit. Fig. 5 is a sectiontaken on the same plane, the bridgepiece being, however, shown in the position to break the circuit. Fig.6. 1s a detail view of a metal bar forming an element of the circuit.

1 .The same referencecharacters indicate the same parts in all theviewsf Let the numeral 5 designate the shell of an incandescent lampsocket. provided with a top 6. The upper portion of the shell isprovided with insulating material 7, which constitutes a filling for thesocket, whereby the various parts are anchored. lVithin the upper p'artof the socket is formed a chamber 8 to permit the movable parts tooperate'freely. In the bottom of this chamber is located a metal bracket9, which is secured to the filling 7 by a screw 10. J ournaled inthe-bracket 9 is a vertically disposed spindle the bracket 9 andprotrudes section taken on the 12 to whose upper metal bridge piece 18.The stem 12 passes through an opening formed in the bottom of into arecess la the bracket the sleeve 15 whose below the bracket. Abovespindle passes through a lower extremity is equipped with a ratchethaving teeth 16 adapted to be acted on by a pawl 17, whose inner.extremity engagesa tooth of the ratchet ing equipped with a push button18. Interposed between the push. button andthe bracket is a yoke-shapedleaf spring '19, under tension to normally carry the push button to itsouter limit of movement after each inward thrust. y

Surrounding the sleeve 15 above the ratchet is a coil spring 20 whoseupper extremity is secured to the bridge piece 13as shown at 21, whileits lower extremity is connected with the ratchet as shown at 22. Theupper extremity of thesleeve 15 is equipped with two inclined cams 23,each 'of which has a vertical offset 24 at its lower extremity, whileits up er extremity merges into the horizontal suriace of the upperextremity of the sleeve.

The circuit wires 25 and 26 enter the top of the socket through aninsulating sleeve 27 inserted in an eye 28 formed in the top 6. The wire25 is connected as shown at. 28, with a. metal angle piece 29, whosehorizontal member 30, forms a seat for one extremity of the bridge piece13 when the lat tcr is in the circu1t-closing position. The

'circuit' wire 26 isconnected as shown at 31 its outer extremitybeextremity is secured a with the upper extremity of a metal bar 32,

whose lower extremity protrudes into the lower part of the socket whereit is bent at right angles as shown 'at 33, and terminates in a seat t,adapted to engage the upper extremity of an incandescent lamp, not,

shown.

The'lower part of the socket is equipped with a screw bushing whichisseparate from the shell 5 by-a layer 36 of insulating material. -Thebushing 36 is closed at the top by a plate 37 which is connected withthe lower extremity of a rod 38, whose upper extremity engages a metal.conta'ct piece 39.

From the foregoing description the use and operation of our improvedswitch will 'be readily understood. If it be assumed that the parts arein the relative position shown Fig. 1,-that is. to say, with the 16 ofthe ratchet, will bridge piece in the-circuit-closing position, if thepush button is pressed quickly against its spring 19, the pawl 17 actingon a tooth impart a partial rotary movement to the sleeve 15, thismovement being sufficient to cause a pin 40 with which the stem orspindle 12 is provided, to ride up the .incline iof one of the cams 23until the pin reaches the upper extremity of the sleeve. imparted to theratchet and the places the spring 20 under tension. soon as the thetension sleeve, and as pin reaches the top of the sleeve r dge piece,imparts a quick, partial rotary movement to the latter, causing it toassume the position shown in Fig. 5 or at right angles to thecircuit-closing position. The two contact members 30 and 39 arerespectively equipped with upwardly projecting stops 4:1 and 42 whichlock the bridge piece against movement in response to the springstension, until the extremities of the bridge piece have becomedisengaged from the stops 41 and 42. This occurs simultaneously with thearrival of the pin 40 at the upper extremity of the sleeve.

When the bridge piece 13 reaches the posltion at right angles to thatshown in Fig. 1, its extremities engage seats 43 and 4A: which areembedded in the insulated filling 7 of the socket. These seats equippedwith upwardly rojectmg lips, forming stops 4:5 and 46. T lese'lipsengage the extremities of the bridge piece and prevent the latter frommoving beyond the seats when under the influence of the springs tenslon.

In order to close the circuit or shift the bridge piece from theposition shown in Fig. 5, to that shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the pushbutton 1.8 is given a movement similar to that employed in breaking thecircuit. That.

is to say, it is thrust quickly against its spring 19 whereby its pawl17 acts upon a ratchet tooth 16 to impart a partial rotary movement tothe sleeve 15, whereby the pin 40 is caused to ride up the incline'ofthe other cam 23, the bridge piece being simultaneously raised to aposition above the stops 45 and 46 In this event the tension" of thespring, acting on the bridge piece and its stem, gives it a quick turnand brings its opposite extremities into engagement with the contacts 30and 39, closin the circuit.

In describing the path of the circuit it may be assumed that it entersthe socket through the conductor 25, passing thence to member .30, the.

the contact 29, its horizontal ridge piece 13, the rod 38, the top plate37 and the screw bushing 35, thence to the lamp not shown, through thefilament thereof and back to the contact 34, and thence through the bar33 to the other conductor 26.

While our improved switch mechanism is The partial rotary movement ofthe spring, acting upon the are respectively I shown and described inconnection with'a lamp socket, it must be understood that itmay beemployed in all other relations where push button switches are required.

Having thus described our invention, what We claim is:

l. A push button switch comprising a ratchet sleeve mounted to rotate, abridge piece having a stem journaled in said sleeve, the said stemhaving a pin adapted to engage inclined cams formed on the sleeve, apush button having a pawl adapted to engage the teeth of the ratchet, aspiral spring surrounding the sleeve and having one extremity connectedwith the bridge piece'and the other extremity With the ratchet, andcontacts located in the circuit and adapted to engage the oppositeextremities of the bridge piece. r

2, In a push button switch the combination of a ratchet having a-sleeve,a bridge piece located above the sleeve, and. having a stem passingtherethrough, the sleeve adjacent the bridge piece having inclined camsand offsets at the lower extremities of the cams, the stem having a pinnormally engaging one of the said ofi'sets, a spring surrounding thesleeve and having one extremity connected with the ratchet and the otherextremity with the bridge piece, and a spring-returned push buttonhaving a pawl adapted to engage the ratchet and impart a partial rotarymovement thereto for the purpose set forth.

-3. A' push button switch comprising a ratchet mounted to rotate andhaving a sleeve terminating at its extremity remote from the ratchet ininclined cams, having of the cams, a bridge piece having a stem passingthrough the sleeve, a support in which the stem is journaled, a spiralspring connecting the bridge piece with the ratchet and surrounding 1the sleeve, contacts ar-l ranged to engage the opposite extremities ofthe bridge piece and having upwardly projecting stops, seats alsoarranged to engage the opposite extremities of the bridge piece afterthe latter has made a partial turn from the circuit closing position,and a push button having a, member adapted to engage the ratchet forirnparting'ar'otary movement thereto substantially as described.

4. In a push button switch, the combination of a ratchet member mountedto rotate, a bridge piece having a stem also mounted to rotate, theratchet member havin a sleeve through which the stem of the bridge piecepasses, a spiral spring surrounding the said s eeve and connecting theratchet member and the bridge piece, the stem having a pin and thesleeve of the ratchet member a cam, whereby as the ratchet member isrotated, the cam acting on the pin of the stem, moves the latterlongitudinally, whereby the shoulders or ofi'sets at the lowerextremities bridge piece is pushed away from the sleeve, and suitablecontacts adapted to be engaged by the extremities of the bridge piece,the said cont-acts having stops which lock the bridge piece againstrotation until the latter has been moved away from the sleeve apredetermined distance, and means for actuating the ratchet to, impart astep by step rotary movement thereto.

5. A push-button switch comprising a ratchet member having a sleeve, abridge piece having a stem passing through the ratchet member, thebridge piece and ratchet member being coaxially journaled, a coil springsurrounding the sleeve and connecting the bridge piece and ratchetmember, a connection between the stem of the bridge piece and the sleeveof the ratchet member, whereby as the latter is given a partialrotation, the stem of the bridge piece is moved longitudinally, andcontacts adapted to be engaged by the extremities of the bridge piece,and provided with stops arranged to lock the bridge piece againstrotation, until the movement of the bridge piece stem as aforesaid, hasbeen sufi'icient to disengage the bridge piece from-the stops,substantially described. 1

.6. A switch comprising a ratchet member mounted to rotate, and providedwith a sleeve, a bridge .piece extending at right angles to the axis ofthe ratchet member and having a stem journaled coaxially witlrthe saidmember, a spiral spring surrounding the sleeve of the ratchet member andconnecting the same with. e bridge piece, means for imparting partialrotary movements to the ratchet member in a given direction, whereby thespring is placed under a tension, a connection between the sleeve of theratchet member and the-stem of the bridge piece, whereby as the ratchetmember is rotated, the stem of the bridge piece is moved in thedirection of its axis, and means engaging the bridge piece to preventthe rotary movement of the latter until the longitudinal movement of itsstem has reached a predetermined degree, substan tially as described.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses;

ADOLPH S. MULLER. LEO E. CARRICO.

\Vitnesses:

A. J. OBmnn, A. EBERT OBRIEN.

